Predictors of Death and Discharge in Intensive Care Units: A Competing Risks Model

Many risk factors are associated with death in and discharge from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors associated with death and discharge among ICU patients.
This historical cohort study was conducted on 712 patients admitted to the ICU of Namazi hospital in Shiraz between 2013 and 2015. The competing risks regression model was suitable for assessing the risk factors associated with death and discharge in ICU. Data analysis was performed using STATA 13.0 and R software.
The mean age of the participants was 53.3±20.7 years. Out of 712 patients, 436 (61.2%) were male and 121 (17.8%) died. In the competing risks model, death was considered as the event of interest, and age and total days of Central Venous Catheter (CVC) and mechanical ventilation use increased the risk of death (all Sub-distribution Hazard Ratios (SHRs) > 1).
The findings indicated that increase in age, use of CVC and mechanical ventilation, and female sex caused an increase in death in ICU. However, the risk of death decreased or the chance of discharge increased when the patients were admitted due to surgical reasons.